When defencemen Alex Edler and Jason Garrison skated with locked-out teammates at UBC, it could have meant the Vancouver Canucks duo had been cleared of respective …

]]>VANCOUVER — The initial optics could have suggested a much different medical prognosis Thursday.

When defencemen Alex Edler and Jason Garrison skated with locked-out teammates at UBC, it could have meant the Vancouver Canucks duo had been cleared of respective back and groin injuries and that the NHL club was no longer paying their salaries during the labour impasse.

Not so.

Edler and Garrison have not been cleared and were technically skating with the Thunderbirds to gain a better evaluation of their ongoing rehab since the Sept. 15 lockout. And you could technically argue that teammates Cory Schneider, Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malhotra and players’ union brethren James Reimer, Jim Vandermeer, Andrew Cogliano and Rod Pelley were in the area and decided to drop into the practice. Technicalities aside, participating in an up-tempo skate with the T-Birds was the best progress news with the league on the cusp of cancelling the Winter Classic.

Edler suffered a bulging disc during the 2010-11 season and underwent a microdisectomy procedure to relieve pressure. He missed 10 weeks and returned for the second last game of the regular season. Asked whether skating or training led to his latest bulging disc, he wasn’t sure what actually occurred or when it happened. Last season, he missed a game with back spasms and also missed several practices. And he made it sound like it was something that didn’t go away in the offseason.

“The end of summer, just creeping up a bit,” said Edler. “It’s very hard to say and I can’t even remember because it was so long ago. It’s getting better obviously with the skating. It’s a frustrating injury and you have to be very patient with it. I feel like it’s going the right way and I’m just going to keep doing what I can to get ready.”

Edler participated in all the drills Thursday and didn’t seem to be in any discomfort and suggested that another surgery wasn’t likely.

“Surgery would be the the absolute last decision and right now the rehab is working,” he added. “I feel very positive.”

Edler, 26, is in the final year of his contract at $3.25 million US and the Canucks tried to sign the Swede to a long-term extension before the lockout. But at what price? Having Edler under their care will certainly given them a better idea of his long-term health before committing major money that his 49-point season might command.

As for Garrison, the 27-year-old White Rock native recently said if play had commenced Friday, he hoped to be ready for the grind. But why rush? He pocketed a $3 million signing bonus July 1 on his $5.5 million salary this season and wants to put an end to chronic groin problems that have plagued him the past two years. So, when could he actually play?

“It’s hard to put it into a measurement,” said Garrison. “I’m definitely close, feeling good and skating better every day and it’s definitely progressing. When you’re out there with multiple people, it’s more awareness and it’s a different feel and really good to get that practice tempo going. I’ve been told it’s going to be sore for a long time, so that’s something everybody deals with. It’s more with getting the strength going.”

In that respect, Garrison is also under the care of noted local physiotherapist Rick Celebrini. The retired soccer defender is head of sports medicine and science for the Vancouver Whitecaps, has worked with the Canadian men’s alpine ski team and was chief therapist and medical manager for the 2010 Winter Oympics.

“I’ve been finding out a lot and working with the best in the business,” added Garrison. “He has helped me out tremendously.”

Meanwhile, the expected cancellation of the Winter Classic scheduled for Jan. 1 at the University of Michigan football stadium between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings — and a week-long festival of hockey at Comerica Park in Detroit featuring alumni, college, junior and youth games — would be a huge financial and marketing loss for the league. And as much as you’d think players wouldn’t relish playing on bad ice, in bad weather and possibly suffering a bad injury, Garrison begs to differ.

“I think they [players] really look forward to it because it’s good for the game,” he said. “I always look forward to watching it and it would be a thrill to play in it for sure. I’d hate to see it go so early but, obviously, it’s not my decision or the players’ decision. We’ll see what happens.”